A (HR) force for change, and a strategic change for good.

When your independent consultant’s driving philosophy in business is to build partnerships that deliver results, then you know you have found someone who is focussed on delivering your success while holding the interests of your organisation, and the people who work for it, at heart. And that is exactly the case of Talmix independent consultant Tim – a seasoned HR consultant, world traveller, results-deliverer and all-round perfect go-to guy when organisations need strategic and practical HR help.

We speak to Tim about change management, strategic workforce planning, independent consulting and the HR function that delivers value back into the organisation.

Early foundations in consulting and the HR function

“There is no more important partnership than that between those who manage the human capital and those who manage the business it supports,” it reads on Tim’s personal bio. And talking to Tim, you soon understand why. Tim has held senior management positions for most of his career, and added to that, has built up with extensive experience in consulting and leading teams within the HR and L&D functions. Having started in Retail, his career soon saw him expand into the automotive and new technology industries, covering both the private and public sector markets.

“Having started as a consultant at an early age, I very quickly learnt the art of adaptability and agility,” he tells me. And it’s exactly this adaptability that has seen Tim work with organisations all over the world, adapting and building relationships wherever he went. Tim’s background lies in Learning & Development which very quickly saw him snapped up by companies such as Honda Motor Europe and UPC, now Liberty Global, setting up and managing their Training & Development functions.

A changing HR function being forced to manage change.

“Organisations are facing huge challenges in the way that their HR functions deliver value back into the business. They’re facing the dichotomy between project-based resources as opposed to traditional job-filling positions. The traditional hierarchical structure no longer stands, as organisations become flatter, and more fluid. They’re working with a workforce that needs and expects more collaboration, more ability, more relevance, and many HR functions, and organisations themselves, simply don’t know how to adapt,” he says. Tim tells me that the biggest challenge that he sees organisations struggle with is having an organisational structure that doesn’t fit their business strategy. Having worked with many organisations and HR teams, Tim has been instrumental in turning the focus of an organisational structure back towards a global business strategy that forces HR functions and teams to review talent pipelines, their learning and development curriculum, and build new working teams that ultimately meet the future strategy of the business. “For many HR functions, they’re being expected to change, add value, think long-term, but many of them have not known anything else other than the traditional roles within HR, and now battle with being able to adapt to a new way of working, themselves”. Tim’s advantage? He’s been there and done that, he’s worked in business functions and understands the value that HR has to offer and needs to offer, in order to stay future-ready.

The future of Strategic Workforce Planning in HR

“HR is going to become a smaller function – there’s no doubt about it. Many of the traditionally transactional tasks will become automated or hived-off into shared-service models. But what is going to grow, is the demand within the HR function for new skill internally to solve problems for the business – and add real value. The need for a future SWP strategy will be based on a proactive HR function that becomes a true business partner as opposed to a support function only. SWP will mean organisations will need to become more involved in flexible workspaces, increased collaborations, a more collaborative business culture that lends itself to an agile, more fluid way of working”. And why are organisations being forced to review their business culture, and HR functionality? Because their new, fluid workforce demands that of them. Employees now have a lot more experience of working for different organisations than they traditionally have. “By the time an employee joins your organisation, they’ve probably worked for 2 or 3 others, and have built up 2 or 3 different sets of things they expect from yours”, he shares. “Strategic Workforce Planning needs to be linked to the strategy of the organisation. You start with the business strategy, and then you look at the structure of your teams and the roles and processes that follow. A new strategy could take a few years to bed in, and should therefore be forward-facing by about 3-5 years. High Employee engagement for all is great for the business, but the real core of business and HR success lies in key talent retention and development. That should be the strategic aim of any organisation”.

Why you’d want to work with Tim:

Tim has worked across function, across industry, across border lines, for many years. He understands how business works, inside and out, and is a specialist in helping HR and Learning & Development functions focus on what’s truly important to the organisation they work for.

Tim served as one of the initial stalwarts of implementing key structures in UPC, which went on to be acquired by Liberty Global – today the world's largest international TV and broadband company with active stakes in the likes of Time Warner, Inc, Barnes & Noble and more recently F1.

Tim understands the demands on organisations to adapt – and his agility at being able to pick up and get to work stands him a head above the rest when it comes to hands-on practical experience.

For your opportunity to work with an independent consultant like Tim, speak to us today.

About the Author

Katy is an independent marketing consultant and founded Fresh Brew Marketing out of her love for the cuppa. A seasoned marketer, Katy writes for several global publications and provides outsourced marketing services to businesses throughout the UK. She is a keen geocacher and rates running around in city centres dressed in Christmas lights as one of her most successful Social Media campaigns to date.